27 October 2007

Colour for a cloudy day

It's one of those drab, chill, dreary and of course windy days that is a harbinger of the NO-month, NOvember...days like this can fill my heart with dread and make me want to retreat to the comforts of hearth and home. I want to drink tea (or wine, or single malt, depending on the hour) and dive into a book, a catalogue, a magazine, a garden blog....ANYTHING to push back the darkness of the outside and make me remember that such days do pass.

But I was brave. I put on a bright red vest (lest one of the buck-fevered hunters out today mistake me for a deer) and my turquoise crocs, and camera in hand, went out to look around the garden (for those who have asked, my camera is a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, and it's smarter than I am!--but I'm more creative than it is)

I am constantly delighted and charmed by the poppies in our garden; not only for the artistry and colour of their irrepressible blossoms, but the exuberance of their flowering. It's late October, and I'm still finding them popping up and putting their brilliant faces out to show. With Remembrance Day rapidly approaching, it seems appropriate that it's the scarlet corn poppies (Papaver rhoes) that are festooning the yard with their brilliant, life-blood coloured blossoms.

Months ago, in my recommendations for favourite garden centres in the region, I admitted that though I go most often to Blomidon Nurseries (they're one of the closest to me with a website), I didn't have a great photo of the nursery. Well, I've been teased about that by some people (hi, Michelle!) and so here is a fall-swept photo of the entrance; granted, there's been a bit of frost, and some trees have relinquished their leaves, but this is a welcoming and wonderful nursery. I was a tiny bit alarmed that the Christmas shop is being constructed, but on the other hand, I LOVE their Christmas shop, and I don't expect to see any blue poinsettias there, either.

Blue, however, is my favourite colour in flowers (that would be my mostest bestest favourite colour, as opposed to other favourite colours like green, purple, magenta....) and I was amazed to find that Black and Blue sage is still not only blooming, but blooming madly! Can you tell which way the wind is blowing? It rarely stops here this autumn, which is a bit irritating, but a fact of living on a hill above the Bay of Fundy.

The fact that the sage is still in bloom, plus the fact that this silly plant has finally put out a whole whorl of flowers, convinces me that we have YET to experience a significant frost. This surprises me, as I was sure that there would be damage Thursday and last night. But the sage is quite cold sensitive in my experience (though Kate reports hers rebounded after an early Regina frost) so perhaps there was enough wind overnight to keep the frost at bay. This Dr. Suess-like plant is Lion's Tail, and I've shown it before--but this is the first time I've had more than a couple of florets showing in any of the flower heads. Being a mint relative, I'm hoping it will reseed, and also that it will come on more quickly next year. The whimsical gardener in me wants to create a Dr. Suess garden to compliment the chocolate and wine bed. I can think of a number of good plants for such a garden, can't you?

A housekeeping note; I'm doing some reorganizing to my blog, and have added an Amazon link for some of my favourite gardening books, because I regularly am asked for recommendations on books. This seemed like a not-too-obtrusive way to share my enthusiasms. So I hope you'll check them out occasionally, and enjoy!

Man... first Kris at Blithewold posts about her Tim-Burton-esque witchhazel blooms, and now you're mentioning your Suessian lion's tail. You both have me pouting over here--my plants aren't nearly as fun as these! *grin*

We have yet to experience a hard frost, too, but we might see some on Sunday night. There's an actual freeze warning for inland areas, and patchy frost due for those of us nearer the lake. I think I need to go figure out where my winter sweaters went to...

You seem to have a gift for noticing nature - and a tripod certainly doesn't hurt the picture quality. Very nicely composed shots too!Yesterday, here in southern Alberta, I lost the lone Jalapeño pepper plant in my big greenhouse. Minus 8 degrees Celsius was just too much for the microclimate to hold enough residual warmth overnight. Today, as I tenderly felt its wilted leaves, I felt like I had just lost a friend. Tomorrow, I will pick the last of the spicy fruit, and perhaps it will last until the No – month is upon us. I had never thought of No-vember that way, but as far as my greenhouse is concerned, its arrival means No-more fresh stuff. Thankfully, spring (in the greenhouse anyway) is only five months away.

Jodi... Great pictures. I can't believe what is still blooming in your garden, and mine, too. It was all cloudy and gloomy here today, hopeful tomorrow will be sunny and we'll get a good frost. It's time for that frost, so we can move on to the next phase of the garden.

Is Remembrance Day a commemoration of the ending of WWI? (What we in the States used to call Armistice Day?) Do those poppies always bloom this late or is this year an anomoly? I love the color of the poppy - maybe you should do a post on crimson.

I really liked your writings, and the pictures. A good site for some quality readings... and our interests match a lot! Writing and photography, though i am not as good as you. Do visit my blog, jethijohn.blogspot.com. Hope to see your feedback soon.

Thanks for comment. Normally when I leave a comment on the blogs of interest list. Don't get a reply.I'm current experimenting with different media but rarely do coloured works because they take so long to do.Even if the content can be controversial. Feel most artist are anyway. Daiman Hirst and Banksy.

I think your blog is a peaceful place to be, even though I´m not really interested in gardening or horse-ridding or even cats, I guess that´s because I live in a tiny flat in Madrid, Spain, where I can´t have a garden or even a cat would be too much, but I wanted to tell you that the pictures are just beautiful and that I like the way you write.Saludos.

Hi Jodi,Thanks for stopping by my blog -- hope I didn't scare you away with my drooling over shoes completely inappropriate to either smalltown life or gardening. I'm actually much more practical than that post might suggest, tromping through mud for the daily walk to my little island ferry!A delight in my garden this year has been the gentian sage -- fabulously blue, constantly-and-still in late October blooming, and a nifty larkspur-like shape. And yesterday we picked up an Aronia, a Callicarpa, and a Euonymus Alata to add, dotting more colour around the fall-to-winter landscape.Thanks for the inspiration and for the book recommendations -- much appreciated!

Welcome. everyone, to bloomingwriter's garden. I'm going to visit everyone's blog as soon as I can, but it might take a while, so please bear with me. BGFessup9, thank you for your comments. I've been at this a while...Mary, thanks and good luck with your journalism dreams. It can be done...Lisa, sunny here today but still very windy. I would try sending you some poppy seeds in the mail but the paranoid government would probably think we were doing something illegal. Pat, welcome...can't imagine that salvia being invasive (it's not hardy here) but it sure is glorious. Kim, we could do really FUN Suessian gardens, between the bunch of us. We oughta think on this for next spring. Davis, welcome...minus 8 C, ick, that's cold...not ready for that yet. I've been to your blog and will be back later. Wingding, Hi and welcome, love your poetry!Carol, you're right...I'm getting ready for a frost. Got some of those bulbs planted today, and some cleanup done, but still no real frost. Dianne, there must be something blue-flowered that you can grow? Where exactly are you?Kylee, can we sign you up for planning a Suess garden? writer girl, welcome...you're on my list to visit. The Organ Harvester, Hi...yes gardens and pets do as they will do, and there's no doin' anything about that, as TS Eliot wrote. cooyy, welcome, glad we can inspire, and good luck with your writing and photography. Danielle, the nursery is a great place to get photos, and most nurseries don't mind at all. Chimerastone, your art rocks! Don't be discouraged at lack of comments--it takes a while, and some bloggers just don't answer at all. It's odd, but I always answer whenever possible. MMD: I'll answer your question about 11 November better with a post in a little while, but yes, poppies flowering this late is a bit odd. Crimson post will come soon--after blue, I think. Jonnybravo, I'm working my way through to visit you as well. Ainhoa, welcome, maybe you can't garden where you are in Madrid, but you can always visit garden bloggers...Samuel Goh Kim Eng, I'm saving some of my blue flowers for a post on blue...come back soon. Materfamilias, nope, wasn't scared by your shoe-drooling, thought it was fun. I don't have gentian sage this year, but hopefully next. Aronia is awesome, callicarpa's berries are just too purple to be believed, and of course burning bush is glorious. Glad to inspire. Preetilata, nice to make your acquaintance, I'm coming to visit yours as soon as I can, later today!

I'm glad you braved the gray day to find ALL THAT COLOR! Wowee! I've been lusting after a camera like yours for awhile but it would have to come with your eye as well. I'm glad your lionotis is finally blooming as it ought - they're maddeningly late! I have one recommendation (one so far) for the Seuss garden - globe amaranth polka-dots (Gomphrena globosa)are a must have!

Thank you for visiting and for taking the time to comment! It might take me a bit, but I will return the compliment whenever possible. Spammers--need not apply. Because I delete your comments and they will never make it here. Kthxbai!